featured blog posts

My daughter was recently chastised for questioning a teacher - a trait I encourage and applaud but it's winning her no friends. And it's that fearless curiosity and interest in difference that builds creative thinking and innovation.

Scottish independence is now the last redoubt behind which everyone across the UK who believes in human solidarity, internationalism, and a multicultural society must gather to stem the rising tide of Brexit poison that threatens to drown us all.

Brexit has become Tory Brexit. They are using it as licence for the xenophobia that has long lain under the surface - but which is now in full view. I suspect that many of those who voted to Leave now look at the actions and rhetoric of the Tories and think "that's not what I voted for"... They didn't vote to lower their own living standards or to sacrifice jobs and investment. They didn't vote for our businesses to face tariffs or for holiday-makers to need visas. They didn't vote for the scapegoating of foreigners. I can confirm today that SNP MPs will vote against the Brexit bill when it come before the House of Commons next year.

They have lost their majority in the Scottish Parliament, and the Scottish economy, reliant on oil and the financial sector, is looking far from rosy. Are we just seeing a blip in their unstoppable march to independence or are we starting to see the demise of this formidable political force?

Jeremy Corbyn is a politician in England who I believe in, which is why I then paid the extortionate and exclusive fee of £25 to vote in the second leadership election. This time I received a letter from Iain McNicol, General Secretary of The Labour Party, explaining, 'A panel of the National Executive Committee (NEC) has considered your application, and has decided to reject it on the grounds that you tweeted in support of the Green Party on 8th May 2015'.

Whatever happens, wherever the chips eventually fall in this Russian roulette of post-referendum political unrest, the feminisation of politics has to mean something. Even if this is just a Polaroid snap shot of one day in British political history, it still represents a sea change in our political culture.

Every single one of Scotland's 32 council areas voted "Yes' to the European Union, and the majority was almost two thirds. Edinburgh was the most strongly pro-EU place in the whole United Kingdom with almost 75% voting to Remain. That's a strong, confident unity. It feels good to be part of it. It attains the highest standard that you could expect of a referendum on such an issue. Scotland has spoken. We don't want to leave the EU and why should we? Go on yersel, England, into your cod Shakespearean tragedy. We're with Nicola.

From the outset the Leave campaign was the most talked about - consistently generating around 55-70% of all conversation about the referendum. On polling day itself - for the first and only time in the six-week campaign it was suddenly the Remain camp which led the conversation.

The process will remind voters of the great things the two countries have achieved together in the past, in a functional political union. This is what the SNP's leadership fear - and why we must vote to Get Britain Out of the EU in order to ensure a Greater Britain for centuries to come.

The constant bickering between and within the great Houses, led by the Brexiteers, could in the end result in the devastation of our economy to the massive detriment of everyday people, while the main characters continue to enjoy their extravagant lives.

There was nothing of substance in the Queen's Speech for Scotland, no ambitious plans to boost the economy, no big ideas to improve public services, and no major strategy to tackle the deprivation and inequality that have grown so much worse under this government.